NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Contrary to the popular image
of the typical steroid user -- a teenage athlete trying to get
an edge or a professional competitor who wants to win -- many
users are in their 20s and 30s, well-educated and don't even
play sports, a study suggests.

In a survey of nearly 2,000 U.S. men who used anabolic
steroids, researchers found that the majority began using the
hormones as adults, and most were not motivated by sports.

Instead, the typical user was a white male around the age
of 30 who was educated, earned an above-average income and was
not particularly athletic. In fact, most men abused steroids to
look better, the researchers report in the Journal of the
International Society of Sports Nutrition.

"In total, our findings belie the images of (steroid) users
as mostly risk-taking teenagers, cheating athletes, and a group
akin to traditional drug abusers," according to Jack Darkes of
the University of South Florida, Tampa, and co-investigators.

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For the study, the researchers recruited 1,955 male steroid
users from Web sites dedicated to strength training and
muscle-enhancing substances, mass emails and print media. The
men completed surveys on their background, lifestyle habits and
the history of their steroid use.

On average, the study found, steroid users were 31 years
old, and three quarters were college graduates. Most had
"white-collar" jobs and relatively high incomes.

When asked about their motivation for using steroids, most
said they wanted to boost their muscle mass, strength and
physical attractiveness.

Only 6 percent said their steroid use was driven by
bodybuilding or sports. In fact, most said they had never been
in organized sports, even in high school.

The results suggest that most efforts to prevent steroid
abuse, by focusing on young athletes, have misses the mark,
according to the researchers. "The targeting of athletes
through drug testing and other interventions does little to
address use among non-competitive users," they write.

Steroid abuse, the researchers point out, has held steady,
if not increased, in the U.S. This, they add, may be related to
the fact that the largest segment of steroid abusers -- adult
non-athletes -- has been "virtually invisible."

SOURCE: Journal of the International Society of Sports
Nutrition, online October 11, 2007.